The effects of successive high-energy shock-wave tumor administration on tumor blood flow.

The effects of repeated high-energy shock wave (HESW) tumor administration on tumor blood flow (TBF) were studied in NU-1 human kidney cancer xenografts. Deuteriated water was used as a magnetic resonance spectroscopic detectable tracer for measuring tumor blood flow. Tumors were exposed twice to 800 electromagnetically generated HESW, with a 24-h interval or sham exposed. No changes in TBF occurred after sham exposure to HESW. TBF levels 2 h after the first and second HESW application were, respectively, 46% and 37% lower than the mean preexposure TBF value and returned to normal levels within 16 h. There was statistically no difference found between the effects on tumor blood flow after the first and second HESW exposure. These observations are in agreement with earlier studies and provide a rationale to shorten the time interval between HESW monotreatments to 2 to 3 h.